Alive Once Again
by Rikkumi
Summary: Aerith and Zack come back from the dead...but how? Clerith pairing. Chaptered. Takes place after AC. In progress. Rated T for romance and language.
1. Prologue: Watching

**Hey, Rikkumi here! I started posting this story a while back, but I took it down because I wasn't pleased with it. ^^ Anyway, I've been editing and revising it so I'm going to begin posting it again. This fic is CloudxAerith, just so you know. I'm keeping all other pairings a secret, mwahaha. Anyways, here we go. (:**

Prologue

"I wonder if she's going to tell him tonight," Aerith thought to herself aloud as she ran a hand through her honey-brown hair, legs up in the air, kicking through the misty white fog she had gotten so used to.

"Nah. Tonight's not the night; Denzel's still on the fritz about picking out a sword so there'll be all sorts of drama."

The young woman jumped in surprise and craned her neck around to find ex-SOLDIER Zack Fair standing behind her, a usual cocky smile placed on his lips. "You don't know that…" She said uncertainly. "Tifa's been working up for courage for quite some time now."

Zack sighed. "Y'know, you don't have to stalk those guys so thoroughly. It's only depressing you—see, I know these things!"

Aerith pouted and turned her head away from him. "So? Maybe I _do _spend a bit too much time looking after my friends and those dear to me. Maybe I _do _spend too much time worrying and praying over them. But maybe I wouldn't _have_ to so much if a certain someone actually looked out for them like I do."

The raven-haired man rolled his eyes. "Oh, whatever. We both know that 'praying' and 'worrying' really mean obsessing. And it's not like it actually accomplishes anything. Just…let it go. It's been years. Your death is old news by now."

She was silent.

Zack could tell he'd offended her and attempted to take back his words. "I mean, of course you're still dear in everyone's hearts, you're just not quite the gaping hole you used to be…"

She groaned. "But I want to be a gaping hole. Is that bad? Does that make me bad?" She exhaled softly. "…No. That's just selfish. I don't want them to hurt because of me. I don't…Do I?"

He patted her shoulder. "I know Aer, and I know she wouldn't want her friends to having gaping holes in their hearts. Now I've gotta run 'cause Angeal's been hollering about some old practice fight we had once and how I need to help give a play-by-play with him to so-and-so, but I'd like to remind you: That dating deal is still open!"

"Ha-ha. Thanks but no thanks, Zack! I've moved on."

Zack shrugged. "Your loss. Besides, y'never know when old feeling's will come rushing back. Alright, now I really gotta go." And with that, he jerked his body in the opposite direction and his figure faded away as it was engulfed in the fog more and more.

Sighing, she turned back to Seventh Heaven. Tifa was setting the table for dinner—Marlene was supposed to be helping, but she seemed to find playing with the forks more amusing—and Denzel was sitting behind the bar counter, filling in as the cashier while he read his book. Cloud was nowhere to be found. "Probably out with Fenrir again, I bet." Aerith frowned and burrowed her head into her arms.

A few moments passed.

"…I don't want to be here, Cloud," she whispered into thin air. "I really don't want to be here…!" Tears spilled out from her green eyes and ran down her cheeks, evaporating into the Lifestream's watery mist. Her voice croaked as her body curled up into a ball, fists clenched tight. _I just want to be home…This isn't home!_

And with that, she blacked out.

**/End of prologue**

**Well, there we go. Off to a not half-bad start.**


	2. Chapter 1: Among the Living

**Yay for the second chapter! I don't really have much to say, except that I'm sorry my writing's not all that great. ^^;**

"…What am I…?" Zack rubbed his eyes and sat up. Eerie white mist had been replaced with rugged hills and pine trees, a dark starry sky overhead.

"Nngh…"

He turned around, quickly jumping to his feet. "Who's there?" Whatever the hell was going on, he didn't want to get ambushed right here and now.

Aerith blinked a few times, wiping the sleepiness from her eyes. "Zack? What's going on?"

"I have no freakin' idea. Thought you were a monster."

"Well where are we?" She asked worriedly, taking Zack's hand as he pulled her up off the ground. "I'm still groggy. Wait, is this…?" The earth pulsated under the Cetra's feet. There was no doubt about it now, not a foggy thought in her mind. Aerith's eyes glazed over as she said to him, "This is Gaia. We're on _Gaia_, Zack. We're back on earth."

Zack blinked. "But…no! We're dead. Dead, dead, dead. That's what we are. We belong up there!" He pointed towards the sky, a puzzled expression on his face.

"I can't explain this either," she said quietly. Her head was spinning, mind dizzy and excited and scared all at once as the realizations hit her again and again. She now had a beating heart and a working brain. At the same time however… "We're messing with the planet. This will cause an imbalance. Why did it even happen?"

Zack was starting to get irritated. "It's who-knows-how-late at night, I'm insanely tired, and I have no idea what just happened. All I know is that we need to find a safe place to sleep, and we'll see what happens in the morning."

Aerith coughed. "Sorry…I kind of forgot you've got no clue what's going on either. Now that you mention it—" a yawn escaped her lips. "I'm really drowsy too."

Zack noticed a small cave carved out of a nearby hill, and bobbed his head towards it. "C'mon, we'll rest there."

She nodded. "M'kay." Slowly they made their way up the hill and into the cave.

Zack slumped his shoulders and propped himself against the wall, falling asleep in a flash. Aerith, on the other hand, as worn-out and frazzled as she was, couldn't get her eyes to shut. She sat at the mouth of the cave, resting her head on her hands. "Good night, earth," she whispered, finally feeling her eyelids droop. "I hope I don't cause you any more trouble. If I do, let me know, okay?" She smiled, satisfied with her one-sided conversation to Gaia. "And…same goes for you, Cloud, Tifa, everyone. I'm… sure you …can hear me…wherever you are…" With a small tired laugh and a yawn, she closed her eyes and let her mind wander.

"Gooood morning!"

Aerith pushed herself up off the cave floor where she'd ended up sleeping the night before. "G'morning to you too," she giggled, still drowsy. "Wait… Zack, we're still here!"

Zack raised an eyebrow. "And where've you been? Duh we're still here. C'mon, I'm hungry and we gotta find Midgar."

Aerith nodded. Something about that sentence wasn't right, though. "Right, right…But I'm still tired."

"Sucks to be you, then! Get up or I'll have to scream."

"Okay, okay! I'm up."

Zack grinned. "Good. Now, I think I know what forest we're in right now. I recognize that mountain over there. If I remember correctly, Midgar is east…"

"Uhh, Zack…"

He sighed. "What is it now?"

"Midgar is in ruins now. We should be looking for Edge."

He was about to yell at her when he remembered that she was right. "Ah…oops! Well, in that case, we'll wander!"

Although it didn't seem like the smartest idea, Aerith couldn't exactly come up with anything better herself. Zack guided them through the woods and into a large clearing, with wild grass sprouting up at every corner.

Aerith allowed a huge smile to form on her face as she looked on at the beautiful field. "Zack, this is a flower field!"

He scratched the back of his head. "Huh, I guess it is. Well, this turned out to be a dead end, let's try—"

It was too late. She was already running towards the wide open clearing, giggling the whole way as she ran. "Can we please take a quick break here? Ple-e-a-a-se, Zack? I mean, I've b-been through so much…I just w-wanna play a bit…!"

He couldn't resist her sad voice. "Alright, fine." He jogged towards where she was sniffing some flowers and smirked as he shouted, "Tag, you're it!" and tapped her back.

Aerith looked up. "Hey…wait! That's no fair!" She could see her breath as she chased after the young man, arms outstretched. _Awfully cold for a summer day_, she thought to herself. _Ah, oh well._

Every time she got close to tagging him, Zack would make a quick left or a sharp right or a total one-eighty, and she'd be right back where she started. Eventually, the two collapsed into the flowers near the middle of the field, their bodies shaking with laughter, chests rising and falling with every heavy unstable breath.

"You…are…dead…" Aerith panted, at last slapping his shoulder and tagging him as it.

"Took you long enough! But, I already quit, so you can't tag me. Ha-ha!"

"I…give up!" She said, shaking her head and stretching out her arms.

" Yeah yeah, quitter," he said jokingly. It was then that they heard the roar of a far-off engine. "Hey, what was that?"

Aerith sat up. "I-I dunno…" She stood and walked over to the far end of the field, near what seemed to be a road. "Maybe we went the right direction after all! Here, I'll make sure no cars see us and when the coast is clear we can start walking along the road!"

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea…I mean, this could be somebody's property or something! We don't want someone to see you 'keeping watch' and get us in trouble with the law."

She sniffed. "Hmm…that's not the daring, up-for-anything Zack I remember from when we were alive. Guess you're just not as _brave _anymore."

"Eh…?" Zack blinked, taking in her words for a second. "EH? Are you insulting me?" Aerith knew just the right buttons to push. "In that case, go ahead and keep watch!" He jerked his heads towards the road. "And then, y'know what, we _will _start walking on that road! 'Cause like hell I'm not brave!"

"Aha-ha, that's what you…think…"

"Aer, you okay?"

"Wha…?" Aerith couldn't believe what she was seeing. The engine's sound had gotten closer and closer, and now, here it was. Her heart had stopped and her eyes were huge. Was this her imagination? Her way of coping with things?

The man stopped his motorcycle in the middle of the road, slowly lifting up his riding goggles. "Holy…Aerith…?"

She was trying to say something. The words longed to come out of her mouth and spill into the air, but she couldn't seem to get them out, as hard as she tried.

Zack, on the other hand… "Cloudy-boy! Funny meeting you here, eh? Whoa, are you wearing a _cape skirt?_" He was starting to run towards the young man when he flipped his goggles back over his wide and shocked blue eyes and brought the engine to life again, speeding away as fast as he could. "Hey! Dude, that is awfully frickin' rude of you! Your best friend comes back from the grave and all you can do is run?"

Aerith's heart was beating again, but she still wasn't sure if she could speak. "Nngh…" She dropped to her knees.

"…We should follow the road, I think."

"Duh," was all she could say.

**/End of chapter 2**

**Gah, sorry if these guys are out of character. I'm trying hard to keep them as in-character as possible. (:**


	3. Chapter 2: A Hearty Prank

**Chapter three is up, wh-hoo! I've really been trying to take Zack and Aerith's personalities into account, but I find I right Zack rather rude, and less charming than he should be. XD Anyways, on to the story.**

"Was…was Cloud really there?" Aerith asked. She was worried her mind was going from all of this warped Lifestream-to-Gaia stuff.

"He sure was. Trust me Aer, I saw his face…He looked so scared, it was hilarious!" Zack said and laughed as they strode down the country road's rolling hills and bumpy gravel, hands placed behind his head. He was humming a tune of some sort; as if nothing had even happened.

"Don't say that! He probably thinks we're figments of his imagination—all thanks to your Cloudy-boy thing, of course." Aerith was furious. How dare Zack go around acting like all of this was nothing.

"Well once we show up on his doorstep, I think he'll _have_ to believe in us. We're not Santa Claus or the tooth fairy, y'know."

She stared at him, eyebrows raised in shock. "You want to _go to their house_?"

"Sure, why not?"

Aerith said nothing.

"…Oh, come on, Aer. Don't tell me you don't want to talk to Cloud or Tifa or Barret or Marlene or Denzel or…"

"Fine! Point taken."

Zack smirked. "Just as I thought. So we'll knock on their door, they'll open up, and—"

"No. We can't do something like that. That's just stupid and silly."

He glared at the girl and said mockingly, "Then what do you suppose we do, Miss Gainsborough? Flash-mob 'em?"

"No, but I do think we should do something special. This is a once-in-a-lifetime…er, re-lifetime…opportunity. It's the golden time for me to play a little prank."

Zack couldn't help the smile spreading across his face. "Aerith Gainsborough, turns out you _didn't _turn into a stickler after you died!" She stuck her tongue out at him. "What's the plan in question?"

"I was thinking…" She hastily whispered something into his ear, and he snickered in response.

"It's perfect."

Aerith looked proud. "Of course it is. I did come up with it, after all."

The two now seemed to be approaching Edge; there were a few cars along the road and farm houses sprawled out across the landscape. A looming gray sky laid far ahead of them; a few towering buildings stood out among them, indicating the big city was near.

"You pumped?"

Aerith looked over at her friend, a glint in her eyes. "Of course."

"Ma'am, there's two people out here who say they want to speak to you directly."

Tifa Lockhart sighed and peered over her shoulder at her waitress, Clair, who waited patiently for a response. "Who are they?"

Clair shook her head. "I-I don't know, Ms. Lockhart. They said something about needing to see the manager. I told them you were very busy but they insisted."

Tifa rubbed her temples. "Alright, what table are they at?"

"Number nine."

Tifa nodded and thanked Clair, making a mental note that Marlene's ballet recital was Thursday as moved from the stock room out into bar. _Nine, nine, nine… _Her weary amber eyes scanned the room for a black "9". A raven-haired young man sat there, and there was someone on the other side of the table, but she couldn't see the person's face. _Probably some_ _drunks trying to complain,_ she figured and made her way to the table.

"Alright, whaddaya want—"

"Tifa, don't be so cold! You need to friendly to all your customers, even if most of them _are _annoying or drunk."

The brunette blinked. "Oh my God…Oh my _God_…!"

"Dilly dally shilly shally!" The young man said in a falsetto tone. "That's supposed to be my line, right, Aer?"

"Aerith…and—and—is that Zack? Zack from SOLDIER?"

Aerith stood up and brought her friend into a tight embrace before Tifa could say anything more. "Hi, Tifa," she whispered.

Tears welled up in Tifa's eyes as she sat Aerith and Zack down at a private table and they began to tell her their story. She would've thought she was just going mad, but considering Clair tugged her aside for a minute to ask who the boy and girl where, she knew she wasn't the only one who could see them. After the two had finished telling her everything, she sat back, red-eyed but happy.

"But how…how did this happen?"

"We really don't know," Aerith answered honestly.

Zack added, "Yeah, shame on her. A friggin' _Cetra_ doesn't know what's going on!"

Tifa would have smacked him but he could tell from his easygoing tone that he was the jokester type. She smiled. "That is a little odd…Oh! It's already eleven; let me make a bed for you guys!" As she said this she winked at Aerith girlishly.

"Er, Tifa…could you make two beds?"

"But why? Ohhh, are you more comfortable sleeping separately?"

"Yes…kind of. Zack and I aren't dating."

Tifa couldn't help her face from falling. "…Oh." She perked back up again, reminding herself that having two friends—well, a friend and a SOLDIER who seemed like he could easily become a friend—back from the dead was not something to mope over. She was still in shock over everything, but all-in-all, she was very, very happy that they were here. She would finally be able to talk and laugh with her old friend again.

"Alright, everything's set. Zack, your room's on the left, and Aerith's is on the right."

The two nodded and Aerith gave Tifa one last hug before bed. "I'm glad to be back," she said, grinning at the grown woman before her.

"Me too. I left you some spare pajamas of mine on the bed, and I gave Zack something of Cloud's, too, just to wear for the night. We can go shopping for new clothes, soon, of course."

"Wonderful." Aerith paused. "Hey, Tifa…"

"Yes?" She tensed up a bit at Aerith's tone.

"Do you think I'll be able to see Marlene and Denzel tomorrow?"

Tifa relaxed again. "Of course. They're with Barret right now, but they're getting in tomorrow afternoon—we can go pick them up together!"

"Of course!"

With that, Tifa left and returned to Seventh Heaven to lock up for the night.

Zack poked his head out of the doorway to his room. "Wow. Avoiding a certain blonde, spikey-headed topic much?"

"Oh, hush! It's obvious Tifa has been working hard all day; I don't want to bother her with such…ah…trival topics right now."

He raised an eyebrow in question. "Really now?"

She couldn't hide the blush on her face as the thought of Cloud crossed her mind. "I'll ask her later!"

"Really now?"

"Yes."

"Really now?"

Aerith was getting frustrated. "Later! Go to sleep or I'll throw my shoe at you!" She began slipping a boot off.

"Really now?"

She pulled her arm back, taking aim.

"Okay, okay! Go put some pajamas on and go to bed yourself." Feeling satisfied, Zack zipped back into his room and whisked the door shut, Aerith's boot just grazing it.

Stretching her arms, Aerith walked over to the bed and picked up the P.J.s in question. It turned out to be a lacy dark blue nightgown, sheer and see-through with a cotton dress underneath. "Not exactly something I would pick, but it'll do," she said to herself, slipping out of her bolero and dress and into the gown. Tifa was slightly taller than her, and it reached about her mid-calf. Shrugging, and too tired to care, Aerith hopped into bed and closed her eyes, quickly drifting into a happy sleep, excited for the coming day.

**/End of chapter 3**

**Chapter 4 is in the works. :D Rikkumi signing out (mainly because it's almost midnight here).**


	4. Chapter 3: Bad Way to Meet

**Aah, thank you for the reviews guys! My friend told me I had some reviews on this and I was worried about them, but I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. (: Captain Arbitary: Yeah, I figured that would be a more Cloud-like reaction, and I do plan on pairing up Zack and Tifa. Electronic-Star: I'm glad you liked their reactions; I found them fun to write. XD Animefan111: Thank you! And yes, I love Zack. He's such a funny guy. HazzaTL3: Gah, I forgot about that. .' Sorry not all the locations are accurate, I'll try getting around to changing it for better accuracy. ^_^**

Tifa reluctantly stood in the kitchen after locking up, staring at the number on her cell phone's white screen. She pressed "Call" and waited as it connected to a service tower.

"The wireless caller you have dialed is not available at this time. Press 1 to leave a message…" Tifa pressed down on the one-button. _Typical Cloud, leaving his phone off._

"Cloud, it's Tifa, _again_. I know you're very busy with delivering right now, but there's something extremely important you have to see. It's urgent! Call me back when you get this." Pleased with herself, she flipped the phone shut and set it down on the counter, walking up to her own room and dressing herself for bed.

Cloud returned her phone call around three a.m.

Tifa rubbed her eyes and, realizing her cell phone was down in the kitchen, rushed down the stairs and caught the call on its last ring. Panting, she said, "Cloud, is that you?"

"…what's the urgent matter?"

Tifa shook her head, smiling into the phone. "Good, it is you. Well, I don't think you'll really believe it unless you see it…" Her voice was a whisper, as she made sure not to wake either of her "visitors" up.

"Just tell me."

"Um, well, Cloud…Aerith Gainsborough and Zack Fair are back from the dead."

Cloud Strife was in a horrible mood when Tifa came down to make breakfast the next day; he was already sitting at the end of the kitchen table, coffee mug in hand.

She glanced in his direction as she pulled out a frying pan, nervous. "Cloud, about our phone call…"

"I understand. You were confused, it was late, and you were making up excuses. Now what's the _actual_ urgent reason you made me come home?"

"But—but that_ is_ the reason…"

Cloud was silent for a moment. "…Stop joking around, Tifa. It's not funny."

At that moment, as if on cue, Zack trotted down the stairs, a usual cocky grin on his sleepy face. "Ah, so the Chocobo-head has returned."

Tifa smiled weakly and said, "Trust me, I wasn't confused," as Cloud whipped his head around, surprised to hear a voice he still remembered so well. He gave her a puzzled, almost angry look as he stood up slowly, examining his old comrade.

"Is it really…?"

"I'm real, buddy," Zack said, pulling the younger blonde into a bear-hug, only releasing him after he started to squirm. "Haven't seen you in ages!"

He glanced at Tifa again. "How…did this happen?"

She simply shrugged. "No one knows."

"But I'm not going insane?"

Zack interrupted laughingly. "Hah, that's what Aerith figured was happening to you when we waved at you from the flower field yesterday!"

Now it was Tifa's turn to look incredulously at Cloud. "You saw them yesterday, and you didn't tell me?"

"I told you I thought I was going crazy," he said quietly, but firmly. "Wait…" A realization suddenly hit him. "Does that mean Aerith…is she here too?"

"Yep," Zack said cheerily before Tifa could respond. She nodded instead.

"Oh, I should go check on her, shouldn't I? She said she wanted to come with me."

Cloud was puzzled once again. "Where are you going?"

"We're going to pick up Marlene and Denzel…don't tell me you forgot?" There was a hint of motherly annoyance in her voice.

"…I had other things on my mind."

Tifa shook her head and sighed softly.

"I'll be right back," Cloud said, and retreated up the stairs to the bathroom. He needed to splash his face with water, to clear his head. When he reached the door, however, it was closed. _Why does Tifa always have to close the door? So annoying…_ He knocked to be sure no one was inside and swung open the unlocked door.

…Someone was in there.

A petite brunette was just stepping out of the shower at that moment, a towel wrapped securely around her, wavy hair cascading down her wet back and bangs dripping. Her jade green eyes flew up in shock, and she screamed.

"Oh, sh-!" Cloud whirled around and slammed the door behind him, his mouth still forming a shocked "O". He slid down the wall to the floor, attempting to calm his heavy breath. His thoughts were radical, ranging from happiness Aerith was here, to confusion that Aerith was here, to frustration that he had been stupid enough not to knock louder in case someone was using the shower, to heartache that Aerith was here, and on and on. _Breathe, Cloud, breathe…_

Tifa's face poked out from the bottom of the stairs. "Everything alright up there?"

"Y-yeah," he shouted down, voice still shaky.

Tifa and Zack had both told him that she was here. They both told him and he knew full well himself. He should be over it by now. It shouldn't be a big deal that she was several feet away from him, in the flesh, right now, only separated by a thin rectangle of wood. It should _not _have affected him like this.

And yet it did. All of his old feelings where rushing back, memories he had long tried to put to rest pooling up in his mind and becoming the only thing he could think about. Her voice, her laugh, her smile…

"Good morning, Cloud." He hadn't realized that the door in front of him had been opened, and she was stepping out now, fully clothed. Her hair was tied up in its usual rope braid, a cheeky grin on her face.

He stood up. "S…sorry about before," he said distractedly.

She laughed. "It's alright. I suppose I should have told someone I was going to be showering."

"Yeah." Her tone was innocent, its undertones playful; it was like she was forgiving him and teasing him all at once. _Forgiving…_ He ran a hand through the blond spikes, and without thinking reached out and trailed his thumb along Aerith's chin. "You _are_ here," he muttered, brow furrowed. "But if you'll forgive me…" He realized what he was doing only when she began to fidget, and pulled his hand away in a flash, turning his head way from her. The blush was obvious on both of their cheeks.

"Ah, we should be getting down there. Picking up Denzel and Marlene today!" Aerith tried lightening the mood and let herself down the stairs before him.

He followed suit and mentioned, "Barret will be there too."

"Yes," Aerith smiled, turning back to face him. "Has his sailor mouth toned down?"

Cloud looked at her, an eyebrow raised and a small smirk on his face. "No, it's gotten worse. Spending more time with Cid hasn't helped."

"Hah, I figured as much."

Zack and Tifa were chatting in the kitchen as they entered; Zack gulping down scrambled eggs as Tifa made more. She checked the clock near the refrigerator, promptly shutting off the burner and putting the pan into the sink as she read off the time. "Alright, time to go. Zack, would you like to come?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I don't really know the kids. I'll meet them when they get back anyway. Only what Aer's told me—she does not shut up about Denzel. I hear he's choosing a sword?"

Aerith smacked the back of his head.

"Oww," Zack said, pretending to be hurt and rub his head, faking a wince.

She smiled evilly. "Sorry, saw a bug."

They both laughed then, as Tifa made her way over to a closet in the nearby hallway. "Aerith, borrow a coat of mine, will you? I can't believe you two walked all the way here in those flimsy clothes."

Zack looked insulted. "Hey, this is SOLDIER gear. I've survived much colder weather than this in the same outfit. Besides, it's summer time!"

Tifa had to admit that the weather pattern had gotten really spotty recently. For early July, it was awfully chilly. She shrugged on her coat and brushed the thought away for now, simply excited that she would be having fun with Aerith today instead of working.

As the girls began to head out, Cloud caught the back of Aerith's coat. "Wait…"

Tifa turned around. "What's wrong?"

He cupped his hand around his mouth and whispered into Tifa's ear, "I…I don't want her out there alone. I'm coming with."

Aerith rolled her eyes and puffed out her cheeks, although internally, she was happily surprised by his gesture. "I can _hear_ you, y'know. I'm going with Tifa, and Barret will be there too when we pick up the kids before he has to head out. Besides, I can protect myself." Scanning the room, she noticed a thin wooden staff in the corner, and picked it up, enjoying the feel of polished wood against her skin. "See?" she said as she twirled it around. "I'll be fine."

Cloud and Tifa looked at one another and laughed. "That's our fire stick," Tifa explained, upon noticing Aerith's confused expression.

She scoffed. "Well, it's a lovely fire stick, and I'll be using it from now on. Since _apparently _I can't go around on my own—heck, even with someone—unless I have a weapon with me."

Cloud nodded, still not feeling entirely sure. "I really think I should come with—"

"We'll see you in an hour, Cloud," Tifa said sharply for the last time before she slipped outside. Aerith looked behind her and gave him a huge grin, her hands made into two thumbs-ups.

"I'll be fine, worrier," she said teasingly, and left, the door shutting tightly behind her.

"I wonder if…I'm forgiven…" he said quietly, lost in his own thoughts. It was as though if she went away, he thought she would never return.

"What's that?" Zack called from the kitchen.

Cloud looked up, drawn back out of his own thoughts. "Ah, nothing. Have any…er, plans today?" He wasn't really sure what to say to his old friend.

"Actually, yeah. I had something in mind, while the girls were out."

"And what is that?" Cloud was already scared.

"Oh, relax man. I was just wondering…is my old sword lying around anywhere?"

Cloud looked straight past Zack as he said, "…It's at your burial place."

Instead of being shocked or appalled, Zack seemed quite pleased. "It is? Sweet! You really are too kind, leaving it there for me. Let's go check it out. I wonder if my corpse is still there—dude, wouldn't that be freaky if it was? I'd literally be staring my dead body in the face!"

But Cloud wasn't paying much attention to Zack. He was still too worried. _Why didn't I go with? _He asked himself foolishly.

Zack seemed to read his mind. "They'll be fine. Just take a breather. You're gonna need one before they get back or you'll totally freeze up around her, and I'm not talking about Tifa." There was a knowing glint in the older boy's eyes. "Don't be so nervous about it."

Cloud clenched his fists. "Oh yeah, I just let her die last time, no pressure," he said cynically, knuckles white.

Zack thought for a moment. "Right. That. . . How _did_ that go down, anyway? Aerith's never . . . told me."

"Sephiroth . . . killed her. Because I wasn't there." His voice was barely a whisper.

" . . . . . Oh." Zack paused for a second and thought, finally nodding; he knew what he could do to help his friend. Pushing himself off his chair, the older boy motioned for Cloud to follow him and slipped through the back door into an eerily cold sunny day.

Cloud was quiet as they moved outdoors, finally asking, "Where are we going, Zack?"

"Aerith's church."

**/End of chapter 4**

**It's about 12:30 in the morning in my timezone, so if I've made any mistakes/things I want to change, I'll make sure to do that tomorrow. (: I'm fairly tired right now, haha. Sorry this took so long for me to do; I've been pretty busy and I had several ideas for the way I wanted Cloud and Aerith to meet, but I liked this one the best so I went for it. XD 'Till next!**


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